‘Of course you’re invited. The children will be around for the first bit and then we can pop them into bed and come down again. Now, chop chop! Let’s go and start zhuzhing.’
Pilar waved me away, so I followed Daphne to my room.
‘Did Bunny put you up to this? She is being incredibly kind, babysitting me out of Timothy’s way all the time.’
‘Well, she did mention that it might be helpful for you to have some thinking space away from him, and I agree. I wouldn’t presume to start giving you advice, Penny my dear, but it never does any harm to take time to consider things.’
‘I would love your advice, Daphne, truly I would.’
‘Good, because I reallydoenjoy imparting it – when asked, of course. But first, let’s see what you are thinking of wearing.’
The problem was, I hadn’t packed for a cocktail party, more for tramping through snowy woods with small children.
‘I have the outfit I was going to wear for Christmas Day, but I don’t know how suitable it is – and I’ll have to wear it twice then. Um, what about jeans and this jumper? It’s sort of sparkly.’
I held up some limp, oft-washed clothes and saw Daphne try masterfully not to shudder. She fiddled with the champagne foil, eased out the cork and poured two glasses.
‘Hmm. They are what I would call maybe ‘smart-casual’ – very pretty, but I think we need something with a bit more pizzazz for this evening. I have something here that I think would suit you perfectly, if you’d like to try it on?’
I nodded casually, but was secretly dying to have even a pinch of Daphne’s stardust sprinkled over me, and watched with excitement as she pulled out a mid-length black tulle skirt, scattered with tiny sparkling chips of diamanté, followed by a deep pink velvet top with a ruched neckline and cap sleeves.
‘Oh, Daphne, they’re so beautiful. Are you sure I can borrow them?’
‘My dear, I picked them specially for you from my collection, so I would be sorry if you didn’t. Here, try them on.’
Wondrously, they fitted beautifully, and I twirled in front of the mirror, enchanted at my transformation. I had some decent black shoes with a heel, and I slipped those on too.
‘There, you look lovely. Now, would you trust me with your hair and makeup?’
‘Yes, please! I feel like Cinderella.’
I sat obediently while Daphne opened pot after jar after palette of cosmetics and started her delicate work. She chatted as she painted, and I found myself opening up to her again.
‘I feel torn. I was with Timothy for such a long time, and I wanted to marry him. I can’t pretend that I have no feelings towards him at all.’
‘But?’
‘But when I got over the shock of him leaving me, none of it was as bad as I thought it would be. I didn’t feel devastated, just empty and silly – duped.’
Daphne tapped a brush gently on the side of a little pot, sending a glistening puff of powder into the air.
‘So why are you tempted to accept his proposal now? Because you wanted it for so long that you think it must still be what you want?’
‘I suppose that’s it. And I do feel that I can reclaim the past years, that they won’t be thrown away, wasted.’
‘Is there perhaps a tiny bit of pride coming into it as well?’
I paused. Was there?
‘Yes. Maybe. I suppose it does make me feel less of a – well, less of a fool.’
‘Oh, Penny darling, you’re anything but a fool. You’re open-hearted, hopeful. There’s nothing wrong with that and it’s far better than cynicism or hardness.’
‘But what do Ido? It feels like whatever way I turn it’s a risk.’
Daphne laughed.
‘Well, of course it is. That’s life! You have to decide which risk is most worth taking.’
